The Mountain of Business

Session 4

God’s view of

So what really happened in that garden?

“Cursed is the ground” Gen 3:17

Lost dominion

Joy to Toil

Sweat

Thorns

Understanding God’s View of Work

How did work get such a bad rap!?

300 AD“Catholic Distortion” Sacred vs secular

1200 AD“Protestant Distortion”Work = vocation vs a Calling

Net?• 2nd class citizens• Work is less spiritual• Money is evil• Workers viewed for $ by clergy vs calling

2 Men Lost

Jesus & Paul modeled work life ministry.

• New Testament – Of 132 public appearances in NT, 122 in the marketplace

• Of 52 parables Jesus told, 45 had a workplace context. Of 40 miracles in the book of Acts, 39 were in the marketplace.

Key Fallacy Hierarchy of spiritual calling.

PastorMissionary

EvangelistChurch Worker

Vocational Ministry Worker

Stay-at-home momPlumber

CEO/Executive

Scum of the earth…Ad Agency Executive

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.Col 3:23-24

Lawyer!

Give $

WORK

Meet human needs

Work is worship “Avodah”

Platform

Influence - societal transformation

“Ministry” equates to “Service” “diakonia”

Work IS Ministry Work TO Minister

Col 3:23-25And whatever you do,

do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward

of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. Care

for Poor

Lev 19:9-10

History Workplace MinistryCBMC1930

Marketplace Leaders

1997

Executive Ministries

1960s

ICWM1998

FGBMFI1951

C121992

ICCC1985

CMDL1991

Pinnacle Forum1995

Workplace Ministry

Workplace Ministry

Evangelism

Theology of work

Church-Based

Ministry2000

Spirituality@Work

1997

Social Transformation

Half Time1995

7 Mountains Strategy

Ed Silvoso, Billy Graham, Henry Blackaby, Peter Wagner

FCCI1977

Egypt

Work Life Call Journey 3 Phases

“Slavery”Ps 127:1vs a son

“To Speak” “Test” “Manna” Hosea 2

“Inheritance”Dt 8 and

Josh 24: 13 sonship

Desert Promised

Land

“What Defines a Christian in the Workplace?”

– NY Times Reporter

Oswald Chambers

We are only what we are in the dark; all the rest is reputation. What God looks at is what we are in the dark—the imaginations of our minds; the thoughts of our heart; the habits of our bodies; these are the things that mark us in God’s sight.

The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 669 L

Compromise always leads to deceit.

"Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause [reason] God

shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

What you uncover, God covers.

What you cover, God uncovers through humiliation.

Satan has no new tricks. He has 3 that have worked just fine for centuries.

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.1 Jn 2:16

It’s the servants who see

water turned into wine.

Reason for Business

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God. Dt 8:18-20

…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. -- Eph. 2:20

Apostle Prophet

Pastor

Teacher Evangelist

Mature Church Kingdom of God Established in the City

Jesus Jesus

Building the Church in the Workplace Ephesians 5 Gifts/Offices

It was he who gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors teachers…

… to prepare God's people for works of service…

Eph 4:11-13

…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. -- Eph. 2:20

Apostle

Entreprenuer/CEO Prophet

CFO,CEO?

PastorCustomer

Service/HR/CEO

Teacher

Corporate Trainer

Evangelist

Outside Sales

Mature Church, Inc. Kingdom of God Established in the City

Jesus Jesus

KingdombusinessLeadersshould solve a problem

God is waiting for his change agents to step into their destiny.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed-Romans 8:19

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on

the day he visits us.I Peter 2:12

David’s Big

AudaciousIdea

What will be done?• Kings daughter • No taxes• Great wealth• Understood covenant “Uncircumcised Philistine?”

From delivering food to delivering a nation

Becoming a Change Agent

“Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge…” Gen 41:38, 39

Joseph, a Change Agent

You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt" (Gen 41:38-41).

Johannes Gutenberg inventor of the printing press 1455

60 years later - Protestant Reformation 1517

Johannes Gutenberg

• “Let us give wings to Truth in order that she may win every god that comes into the world by her word, no longer written at vast expense, but multiplied everlastingly by a machine which never wearies.”

Johannes Gutenberg

• “It is a press, certainly, but through it, God will spread His Word; a spring of pure truth shall flow from like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance, and cause a light hitherto fore unknown to shine among men.”

Clara Barton, founder, Red Cross, age 60

• One of first women teachers

• Among the first women to gain employment in the federal government.

• Barton risked her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field during the Civil War.

• Founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and led it for 23 years.

• Her intense devotion to serving others resulted in enough achievements to fill several ordinary lifetimes.

Clara Barton, founder, Red Cross, age 60

“I have an almost complete disregard of precedent and a

faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates

me to be told how things always have been done ... I

defy the tyranny of precedent. I cannot afford

the luxury of a closed mind. I go for anything new that

might improve the past.”

George Washington Carver

• 300 marketable products – peanut• 100 sweet potato• Transformed southern economy

“Man, who needed a purpose, a mission, to keep him alive, had one. He could be. God’s coworker. My purpose alone

must be God’s purpose. As I worked on projects which fulfilled a real human need, forces were working through me which amazed me. I would often go to sleep with an

apparently insoluble problem. When I woke the answer was there.”

Post it!

3M scientist applied low tack

adhesive to paper and used it

to mark his hymnal for choir

practice at church.

Visions & Witty Inventions

Every great invention goes through 3 stages: 1. Ridiculed 2. Opposed 3. Self-evident

Christian Executive

Disney Cruise Ships

Lynne Ruhle

Reclaiming the Gymnastics Mountain - Sports

Tom’s Shoes

Further Study

www.tgifbookstore.com

Summary

• We are to manifest God’s presence in the area of our calling.

• We are to solve problems through business.

• We are called to acquire wealth for the sake of His Kingdom - Dt 8:18

• Social entrepreneurship should be used to solve a global problem.

• Satan has no new tricks; his old ones work just fine. Pride of life, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes. 1 Jn 2:16